Garrand Médeville has become the trusted protector of 37 giant pandas genetically engineered to see the future in their dreams. Trapped between Imperial saboteurs and marauding Gambor, Garrand attacked an Imperial Battle Frigate in a desperate attempt to scavenge spare parts for his ship. The ensuing battle took its toll: betrayed by his lover, Garrand lost all but two of the pandas to Imperial forces before he fought his way back to freedom. Vice Proctor Hellius Barrett now plans to use the creatures' prophetic powers to launch a devastating war campaign. But first he must convince the tribe that he is the natural heir to their legacy, and that only he can keep them safe. If he cannot sway the Elders to his side, then he will reverse engineer the genetic process, sacrificing the pandas one by one until he is able to replicate the procedure. Captain of the Imperial Guard Vailetta Strom's secret identity as the Emperor's illegitimate daughter has been well hidden for her entire life, but now she will be placed in charge of precognitive creatures that could bring down her father's empire. Together with Assassin Torg, she must navigate Lord Barrett's traitorous court and determine where her ultimate loyalties lie. Reeling from their losses, Garrand and Sid Panda must learn to unravel the mysteries of the pandas' lyrical dreams-visions that they begin to translate into epic poetry-and discover a way to save the tribe before a billion souls are butchered under Lord Barrett's command.